Training Plans / Half Marathon
Beginner Half Marathon Training Plan
A free 12-week plan for your first half marathon. Four runs a week, one workout, a long run that builds to 10 miles, and mileage ranges you set to fit your life.
Before you start
Is this plan for you?
If you can check all four, you’re ready to start week one.
Can run 3 miles without stopping
Already run about 10 miles a week, over three or more days
Have four days a week to run, plus an optional cross-training day
Want to finish your first half marathon
Not quite there? If you’re brand new to running, build up to 3 miles first. If you already run 12 to 18 miles a week and want two workouts a week, the 18-week plan is the better fit.
How to use it
Four steps before week one
01
Pick your lane
Every day shows a range. Run the low end if 10 miles a week is still new to you, the high end if it already feels easy. You can move between them week to week.
02
Set your paces
Paces come from a recent race, not a goal time. No race yet? Run weeks 1 to 7 by feel, then let week 8’s 5K check-in set the race-pace work that follows.
03
Keep hard days apart
Move days around to fit your week, but keep an easy or rest day between the workout and the long run.
04
When life happens
Missed a few days? Pick up where the calendar is, don’t cram. Missed a week or more? Repeat the last full week you ran.
Pace calculator
Set your training paces
Enter a 5K or other race from the last couple of months. Jack Daniels’ VDOT model turns it into every pace this plan calls for.
The plan
12 weeks, four phases
Numbers are miles. Tuesday holds the week’s one workout from week 4 on. Mondays and Fridays are rest days, and Wednesday is rest or optional cross-training.
Base Building
Build the habit and the aerobic base. Easy running with strides, a long run that grows from 3 to 5 miles, and a first short tempo session in week 4.
Development
One tempo run a week, building to 15 minutes straight. Week 8 swaps it for a 5K check-in and eases the long run back while you reset your paces.
Race Preparation
Half marathon pace replaces tempo, and the long run reaches 10 miles two weeks before race day.
Taper
Volume drops by about half over the last two weeks while the race-pace work stays, so you arrive rested and sharp.
Workouts
Every workout in the plan, explained
Easy
Easy run
Conversational pace, and most of the plan. Thursday’s run ends with strides: 20 to 30 seconds quick and relaxed.
The Easy Run →
Workout
Tempo run
Comfortably hard, about the effort you could hold for an hour. Short repeats in week 4 build to 15 minutes straight by week 7.
Tempo running →
Long Run
Long run
The week’s anchor, building from 3 to 10 miles at easy effort. It peaks two weeks before race day, which leaves time to recover from it.
The Long Run →
Workout
5K check-in
Week 8’s hard, even 5K, solo or at a local race. The result resets your paces for the race-pace weeks that follow.
Good 5K times →
Workout
Half marathon pace
Miles at goal race pace in weeks 9 to 11, so race day feels rehearsed rather than new.
Half marathon pace chart →
Rest
Rest and cross-training
Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Adaptation happens on rest days; easy cycling or swimming on Wednesday is optional.
Rest Days →
Why it works
How the plan is built
Three principles, each backed by the research.
<20%
Small weekly steps
In a study of 261 runners training for a half marathon, adding 20 to 60 percent to weekly distance led to more injuries within three weeks than adding less. Every week before race week stays under that line.
80/20
Mostly easy, a little hard
At least three of your four runs each week are easy, long run included. A review of elite endurance athletes found roughly 80 percent of their sessions were done at low intensity, with a small dose of hard work on top.
2 wks
A taper that keeps the intensity
A meta-analysis of 27 studies found the best results from about two weeks of tapering, cutting volume 41 to 60 percent while keeping intensity and frequency the same. Weeks 11 and 12 follow that.
Built by Jason Schmitt
Synthesized from Jack Daniels’ VDOT paces, the four-day format of Hal Higdon’s Novice 1 and the research on how quickly new runners can add mileage. Last reviewed November 2026.
Take it with you
Put all 12 weeks on your calendar
Pick your race date. Every workout lands on the right day, with the details in the event notes.
FAQ
Questions runners ask about this plan
Is 12 weeks enough to train for a half marathon?
Yes, if you can already run 3 miles and about 10 miles a week. From there, this plan only has to reach 20 or 21 miles a week and a 10-mile long run, which 12 weeks covers without big jumps. Starting from zero? How to start running covers the weeks before this plan.
How many miles a week should a beginner run for a half marathon?
In this plan, 9 to 12 miles in week one, building to 20 or 21 in week 10 depending on which end of the ranges you run. Plans aimed at a time goal peak higher, like the 18-week plan at 33 to 42, and the half marathon training guide compares how much the popular plans ask for.
How long should my longest run be before a half marathon?
Ten miles, two weeks before race day, the same peak as Hal Higdon’s Novice 1. The taper that follows gives your legs time to absorb it, and the half marathon taper guide walks through those last two weeks day by day.
How slow should my easy runs be?
Slow enough to talk in full sentences. In a lab study, the point where talking first got difficult lined up almost exactly with the ventilatory threshold, the top of the easy zone. If you can’t finish a sentence, slow down or take a short walk break.
Is it OK to walk during the long run or the race?
Yes. In a study of 42 recreational runners, those who walked for a minute roughly every mile and a half finished a marathon in about the same time as those who ran the whole way, and reported less muscle pain and fatigue afterward.
Can I run this plan three days a week?
Yes. Drop the Saturday easy run and keep Tuesday’s session, Thursday’s run and the long run. Your weekly totals will land 2 or 3 miles below each range.
Should I strength train during the plan?
It helps. A meta-analysis of 25 trials across sports found strength training cut injuries to about a third of the comparison rate, while stretching showed no benefit. Two short sessions a week on rest days is a reasonable place to start.
What should I eat before the race?
Nothing new on race day. For most first-timers the race will take longer than 90 minutes, which is where carbohydrate loading starts to pay off, and your breakfast and gels should be ones you’ve tried on long runs. What to eat before a half marathon has the amounts.
What should I do after race day?
Take a few days of rest or very easy running, then build back with short easy runs before you start another block. Half marathon recovery covers how long it takes and what helps.
